1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operating device of a switching device or the like including a latch mechanism for maintaining or releasing an operating force.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional operating device, there is a spring operation device that includes a torsion bar as an energy storage source for an operating force, as shown in FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. S63-304542, for example. This conventional operating device has a latch mechanism for maintaining or releasing an operating force of the torsion bar.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H09-320407, discloses a circuit breaker tripping device (operating device). In this circuit breaker tripping device, an operating mechanism that transmits an operating force to a circuit breaker is maintained in a state of equilibrium when the circuit breaker is in a switched state. When the circuit breaker tripping device receives a cut-off command, the equilibrium of the operating mechanism is broken so that the operating force is transmitted to the circuit breaker. In the latch mechanism of this operating device, to improve the reliability of the operation of the latch mechanism, there are two electromagnets that supply a driving force to trip the latch mechanism, and thus, even when one of the electromagnets has a trouble such as unable to operate, the latch mechanism can be released with the other electromagnet. In this way, redundancy is secured (see FIG. 2 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H09-320407). Moreover, the operating device is configured with two electromagnets that are arranged in parallel, and the latch mechanism is released when the displacement of a plunger of the electromagnet is transmitted to a latch catch via a displacement-transmitting mechanism.
In this manner, the latch mechanism of the conventional operating device is released when the displacement of the plunger of the two electromagnets arranged in parallel is transmitted to the latch catch via the displacement-transmitting mechanism. However, the structure of this displacement-transmitting mechanism is complicated, because it is configured by a large number of components such as a push-up bar, a thrust bearing, a guide metal fitting, a driving pin or the like. Thus, it is believed that there is room for improvement in economical efficiency and reliability. Moreover, the displacement-transmitting mechanism is bulkier than the electromagnet, and particularly, the mass of the movable units of the displacement-transmitting mechanism is very large, which causes a problem of driving force loss or increase in response time of the electromagnet.